1984
Featuring the voices of Sophie Aldred, Dame Joanna Lumley & sir Simon Russell Beale.
‘From the age of uniformity, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink… greetings!’
Award winning Box Tale Soup present a stunning new adaptation of Orwell’s dystopian classic.
Known for their ingenious sets and slick storytelling, Box Tale Soup’s unique puppetry becomes a striking metaphor for Orwell’s chilling vision of power and control.
The year is 1984, perhaps - it is impossible to tell for certain. We are being watched, Big Brother is everywhere, truth changes daily, and everyone conforms. But for Winston Smith, insignificant cog in the Party’s vast machine, this half-life is not enough. He dreams of freedom, but is he the only one?
Dreams can be deadly when rebellion begins with a thought.
‘The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.’
Box Tale Soup have a firmly established reputation for creating faithful yet innovative adaptations of classic works.
Their spellbinding takes on The Picture of Dorian Gray, Casting the Runes, and Gulliver’s Travels have captivated audiences across the UK and beyond. With each production, their unique blend of stunning puppetry, dynamic performance, and razor-sharp storytelling has won them a devoted and ever growing following. Now, they take on their most ambitious challenge yet in George Orwell’s 1984 - but this is no passive retelling.
Through their signature style, Box Tale Soup offer an original take that highlights the need for vigilance, resistance, and engagement in the face of control and manipulation. With recorded vocal performances from Sophie Aldred, Dame Joanna Lumley, and Sir Simon Russell Beale, this electrifying adaptation brings Orwell’s dystopian nightmare to life like never before. If past productions are anything to go by, this promises to be a must-see theatrical event—thrilling, thought-provoking, and deeply relevant to our times.
Don’t miss your chance to experience 1984 —a powerful, urgent production from one of the most exciting theatre companies on the touring circuit today
Available Christmas 2026 & 2027
Hansel and Gretel
- Touring Christmas 2026. Daytime family show.
“Would you like to hear the story? It begins two days before Christmas, with a Witch and a magic spell…”
Hansel & Gretel are so excited, it’s their favourite time of year - Christmas! But when they get lost deep in the woods, it seems they’ll never make it back in time for Christmas dinner…
Join award winning Box Tale Soup for a brand new festive take on this classic fairy tale adventure, with beautiful puppets, innovative theatre and magical original music.
A Christmas Carol
- Touring Christmas 2026. Evening show.
“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold, covetous, mean-spirited old sinner, despises cheer and festivity. But this Christmas, one magical night will change his life forever and thaw his icy heart.
Created by Box Tale Soup, featuring remarkable puppetry and all original music, Dickens’ classic is lovingly brought to life in a brand new production.
Following sell out performances at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham… join us, and rediscover the timeless joy and wonder of ‘A Christmas Carol’!
Available only for international touring on request:
Gulliver
- International touring only on request.
With trademark style, unique puppetry and stunning original music, Box Tale Soup return with an unbelievable journey…
Gulliver, a traveller and pioneer, shipwrecked and lost at sea for nine years, has returned. He tells tales of lands undiscovered and creatures unheard of, but is he really the same man who disappeared so long ago?
They say travel broadens the mind… but how far before it breaks?
The Picture of Dorian Gray
- International touring only on request.
‘What does it profit a person if they gain the whole world and lose their own soul?’
Dorian Gray, young and beautiful, sinks deep into a frivolous lifestyle of selfish abandon, seeming unchanged by corruption and untouched by age. But behind a locked a locked door, beneath a heavy curtain, Dorian’s portrait tells a different story..
An original adaptation by the company of Oscar Wilde’s haunting story of evil, debauchery and scandal, featuring unique puppets created for the show and a powerful original soundtrack.
Casting The Runes
- International touring only on request.
“Who is this who is coming...”
You are invited to the edge of your seat, on a journey to the darkest corners of the night…
Expert on the so-called supernatural, Edward Dunning is a scholar and a sceptic. But when he crosses paths with the mysterious Mr. Karswell, Dunning's life becomes a waking nightmare.
A chilling new adaptation of M.R. James' classic ghost stories featuring remarkable puppetry and a haunting original soundtrack. Our advice? Don't come alone...
Praise for Box Tale Soup Productions:
PRESS:
★★★★ They are wonderful.
The Times
★★★★★ “..brilliant, dynamic..”
Three Weeks
★★★★★ “Performed exquisitely...a wonder to see.”
The Skinny
★★★★★ “..genuinely chilling..”
British Theatre Guide
★★★★★ “..a simply exquisite piece of theatre..”
BroadwayWorld
★★★★★ “.. simply wonderful..”
The Wee Review
“Their beautifully crafted shows are like collector’s items.”
The Stage
★★★★★ “..stylish, gripping and impeccably delivered..”
BroadwayBaby
★★★★★ “..sublime staging...powerful performances.”
Culture Fix
★★★★★ “A show that we literally fell in love with..”
La Nouvelle Vague
AUDIENCE COMMENTS:
“We will see anything and everything Box Tale Soup produces..”
“One of the most beautiful performances I have ever witnessed onstage.”
“This is an extraordinary piece of theatre. I was completely captivated”
“Box Tale Soup is always reliable and yet always surprising.”
“Whatever you do -- go see this show!! Completely stunning and it will stay with you for a long, long time! Just go see them!”
“Beautiful and graceful stagecraft, elegant puppetry and powerful performances.”
“Superb! This is one of the best productions I have seen, not just at this year's festival but anywhere.”
